Chapter 60: 60. Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet The night did not simply pass. Because news from Shadow Puppet Peak arrived quickly. "The Fox Demon invaded and actually launched a surprise attack on Shadow Puppet Peak!" "Uncle Master Gu went out to eliminate the fox but disappeared." "What is going on? Didn’t we... didn’t we win the war against the Fox Demon? How could there be so many Fox Demons invading?" "What about the disciples at Shadow Puppet Peak? Aren’t they all dead?" "Not necessarily, because last night a sinister mist surged with unprecedented intensity. It’s very likely that a Ghost Cultivator invaded..." "Could Ghost Cultivator and Demonic Fox be mixing together?" The disciples were in a state of panic. That night, the guard was tight. The Sect Leader personally took action. ... ... Early the next day... After a day and night of investigation, the direction of the discussions suddenly shifted. "The Ghost Cultivator actually rescued the disciples of Shadow Puppet Peak." "However, the Ghost Cultivator needs Skin Master very much, and from now on, our Puppet Sect probably won’t have Shadow Puppet Peak, while the Ghost Cultivator will be even stronger like a tiger with wings." Song Yan listened silently, looking outside. At Shadow Puppet Peak, not a single disciple was brought back. Whether Shi Peng, or his previously acknowledged Senior Brother Wen Shu, and Second Senior Sister Jin Yuntian, it was all the same... Regardless of their connections, this time... as long as they belonged to Shadow Puppet Peak, all were "bundled" and sent away. Except for him, the "living inheritance of Stone Master." As he was thinking, a disciple came from outside, saying that the Sect Leader wanted to see him. Song Yan followed and entered a strange paper doll house. The disciple seemed fearful and only said: "You go in by yourself." Song Yan stepped cautiously over the threshold, walking through a corridor resembling a memorial hall, where twisted and tall, bizarre paper figures could be seen everywhere on either side. Red male and green female paper figures, faces ghostly white, cheeks painted with rouge, mouths with eerie smiles, all towering up to the ceiling, yet because they were too tall, had to bend over, lowering their heads, overlooking the people walking in the corridor. The air was filled with a cold eerie atmosphere. He pretended to be timid as he walked. When he passed an open door, he saw a screen. On the screen, a beautiful figure was seen sitting elegantly. "Greetings to the Sect Leader." Song Yan knelt and then couldn’t help but cry, "Master... Master he..." From behind the screen came a slow and aged voice. "Seat Weng is fine, he has found a new breakthrough opportunity and may truly step into the Crimson Palace Realm, you... need not worry." Song Yan wiped his tears, muttering, "That’s good, that’s good," then as if remembering something, he smiled bitterly and said, "Now that things have come to this point, Shadow Puppet Peak is gone. The disciple has nothing to hide anymore. The inheritor of Stone Master’s teachings is actually the disciple, which is a method called ’Hundred Forms Divine Control.’ The disciple is willing to offer it to the sect to revive our Shadow Puppet lineage." Behind the screen, there was a moment of silence. Song Yan continued, "It’s just that what Stone Master conveyed, he was pursued by Nanwu Sword Sect back then and so it was lost. The disciple remembers some of it and after Stone Master’s guidance, although not reaching the realm..." Suddenly, his words were interrupted. "Come closer." Song Yan stood up as instructed. "Closer." Song Yan stepped towards the screen. "Closer..." "One more step." When Song Yan was face to face with the screen, a deathly pale hand suddenly shot out like a snake, clamping tightly onto his arm, and then... a strand of cold air penetrated into his body. Shortly after, the hand retracted. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 Song Yan feigned surprise and fear, trembling. From behind the screen, the aged voice chuckled, "Seventh Layer of Refining Profound, Nanwu Sword Sect really went all out. Gu Rufeng, you were quite prompt in your actions... If you were a bit late, this seat’s plan might have changed. You see, people’s hearts are indeed twisted. All for inheritance, Gu Rufeng actually wanted to poison Seat Weng." "I... I..." Song Yan stepped back in shock and fear. The aged voice said, "Are you from the Su Family? I carefully investigated you, you stayed with the Su family girl, and even helped her kill someone. You killed the Wei Kingdom’s Southern Wu King. The Su family girl is indeed naive, destined to be taken advantage of. That old fox of Southern Wu King was surely intending to report to escape, and you found out... you resolved this trouble." Song Yan remained silent, but said, "I’m not from the Su Family." The aged voice said, "Do you still have unresolved matters with Nanwu Sword Sect?" Song Yan was silent for a moment. The old voice chuckled sinisterly and said, "Since things have come to this, we might as well turn mistakes into fortune. Join my Puppet Sect; this old man wishes to take you as an apprentice and announce it to the world." Seeing that Song Yan did not move, the old voice laughed again and said, "Or are you, like those hypocrites of the Nanwu Sword Sect, concerned with some notion of integrity?" Song Yan bowed down, "Disciple Song Yan, greets Master." "Hehehe... hehehe..." "Hahaha..." "Hehe..." "Heh heh..." The laughter of an old woman, a young woman, an old man, and a child chimed together. It was as if a whole family was hysterically laughing. A flawlessly carved white bone bracelet flew out from behind the screen, intricate and pure as jade. "I am Gu Huangzi, and this is the profound artifact I became famous for before stepping into the Crimson Palace Realm—Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet. The Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet is a treasure for nurturing the spirit. The longer you wear it, the stronger your spirit becomes. It is exceedingly rare for our Puppet Sect, whether it is the Shadow Puppet Lineage, the Paper Man Lineage, or the Blood Corpse Lineage. Besides, you can throw this item to attack, with the force equal to a strike from a strong person at the early stage of the Crimson Palace Realm, enough for your self-defense. This is the token of acceptance from your master." Song Yan received the white bone bracelet and respectfully said, "Thank you, Master." The old man behind the screen waved his hand and said, "Go now, but do not stop cultivating. In a few days, I’ll have resources arranged for you. As for the rest... we’ll discuss later. Continue refining shadow puppets diligently." "Yes..." ... ... When Song Yan stepped out of the bizarre paper-man house, he was drenched in cold sweat. He faintly smelled a scent of blood wafting from the house, accompanied by a trickling sound. He hurried back to his quarters. Today’s dangerous confrontations were far beyond what he expected. He initially thought the Sect Leader would coerce him to hand over his knowledge, then perhaps dispose of him afterwards, so he prepared to claim the knowledge was lost, with only he remembering it. But the Sect Leader suddenly and without reason investigated his power. The motive for this was clear to him. He understood that the Sect Leader suspected him of killing Gu Rufeng. Thus, he adapted by displaying his Seventh Layer of Refining Profound power. Such power could fully inherit and utilize the "Hundred Forms Divine Control" and was also capable of killing Gu Rufeng. At the same time, he had to show this power. Because he did not know the Sect Leader’s realm, but he knew that even with the Sealing Talisman and Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique, he may not hide his strength, so... he had to proactively reveal it. At this point, the situation spiraled out of control. Unexpectedly, the Puppet Sect Leader Gu Huangzi assumed he was a high-level spy for Nanwu Sword Sect and accepted him as an apprentice, even granting him this "Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet." This was a fortuitous miscalculation given his past actions... conveniently helping to complete his deception. ... ... Now, Song Yan took out the "Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet" and gazed at it. The bracelet’s surface was smooth with intricate raised patterns, primarily made of unknown white bone. Upon closer look, one could see many naked figures raising their hands amid jagged ice spikes, faces twisted, eyes upturned in cries for help... clearly depicting a scene where sinners struggle in an icy hell. This item, given by Gu Huangzi, surely had traps set within it. As for the "blast of an early-stage Crimson Palace," Song Yan believed it to be true. But he also believed if he used it to attack Gu Huangzi, even a heavily wounded Gu Huangzi would meet a gruesome end. Yet, he could not avoid wearing it. He closed his eyes slightly. Opened the panel: [Name: Song Yan] [Life Span: 27/5057] [Talent: Remaining Life Dao Fruit] [Realm: Ninth Layer of Refining Profound] In this half-year since he returned, his lifespan had increased by three thousand years. He concentrated on the "Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet" and started investing his lifespan into it. [You have invested ten years of lifespan into the ’Cold Prison Floating Life Bracelet’ to nurture your spirit. The spirit is mysterious but can manifest through external objects, such as how currently, you can only control one additional shadow puppet with ’Hundred Forms Divine Control’ while maintaining your activities, but enhancing your spirit can increase your control count] [In ten years, your spirit will strengthen, allowing you to control up to two shadow puppets] Song Yan was slightly dazed. ’Nothing happened?’ ’It seems the bracelet’s restriction leans more towards functions like a tracker or a listening device... but which exactly, can only be tested in the future.’ ’However, since nothing happened, and it can nurture my spirit, then... let it continue nurturing.’ ’Perhaps with a strengthened spirit, I might be able to detect what kind of restriction it holds.’